melson



(No Model.)

' O. H. MELSON.

Animal Trap.

' No. 240,747. Patented April 26, I881 ATTORNEYS N'PETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPRER, WASHINGTON, D. C.

I UNITED Y STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. MELSON, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO B. F. BOLSOM, OF SAME PLACE.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,747, dated April 26, 1881.

Application filed J annary 29, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it; known that 1, CHARLES H. MELsoN, a citizen of the United States, resident at Norfolk, in the countyof Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal-Traps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a machine embodying my improvements; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, partially in section. V

This invention relates to moletraps; and

it consists in the construction hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings hereto annexed, A is a frame made as a quadrant, having legs B B,

base-bars G (J, and curved connecting-bar D, having a slot, cl, extending from theloweredge, a, nearly to theupper end of said curved bar.

0n the inside of the base bars or checks 0 l are made the bosses c 0, having the depres- 0 sions c c, in which are pivoted the pintles e e of the trigger E. This consists of an arm, F, which extends upward and projects through slot (1, having a thumb-piece, f, outside of said slot, and, extending downward, has pivotedl 5 to its end f an arm, G. having a notch, g, ini

its lower surface and a flat head, g.

H is a metal plate conforming to the shape of the upper front end, I, of arm F, and having in its rear face the countersinks h h, and

running from these through said plate the holes a a.

K K arethe piercers, curved as shown, and

having the heads It It, 10, and l, and holes in plate H and head or end I. M is a washer, and N a screw.

P P are strong spiral springs, which encircle the bosses c and pintles e, and are made fast at one end to said pintles, and at the other to the base bars or cheeks O O.

R is a bar, which connects the cheeks G G on the under side some distance in front of the bosses c c, and S is a brace, located as shown.

The piercers K K are slipped through holes a at until their heads is it rest in the countersinks h h, when plate H is screwed to end or head I by screw N, with washerM between, the position of the piercers being such that they curve downward from arm F.

The trap is placed over the mole-track, with the base-bars O O resting with their edges t t f on the ground. The arm F is drawn back by thunib-piecef, which shoves the trigger Gforward until its notch g is made to catch on bar B, when the trap is set. As the mole travels along, his back, striking the head g, releases 6 the trigger G and the springs P P throw the bar F down and the piercers K K impale the animal through the back. 

